Surrogacy banned under Malaysian fatwa

Surrogacy is forbidden under Islam, a religious authority in Malaysia said Tuesday after reports that the practice is becoming more popular in the Muslim-majority nation.

"If another woman is introduced into the situation, then it means the real mother of the child can be questioned," said Mat Jais Kamos from the Islamic affairs department in Malaysia's biggest state, Selangor.

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"This creates confusion in Islamic law especially when it comes to inheritance, as it will be hard to determine the individual's bloodline and thus the person's rights to any inheritance," he told AFP.

Mat Jais said a fatwa banning surrogacy was issued by the National Council of Islamic Religious Affairs in 2008. The decision had not been widely reported until now.

"It categorically states that such a form of pregnancy is unacceptable under Islamic law," Mat Jais said, adding that IVF is permissible as long as the sperm and egg belong to a married couple.

"In Islam, it is not permissible for the sperm of the male of a married couple to be implanted into the egg of another woman," he said.

"That is considered a violation because the man is not married to this other woman and yet she is the bearer of his child out of wedlock."

The Straits Times newspaper reported on the weekend that surrogacy is on the rise in Malaysia, but that there were a lack of rules to govern the practice.

"Practitioners, surrogates and couples are not going to talk about it because of the sensitive and emotive nature of the entire procedure," Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia president Mohamad Farouk Abdullah told the daily.

"That is why there are no statistics on surrogacy in Malaysia."

Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, where more than 60 percent of the population of 27 million are Muslim Malays.

Religious authorities have previously caused waves with other bans including one on yoga, which Islamic clerics said could erode faith in Islam because it involved physical and religious elements of Hinduism.

Even when a fatwa is issued, it is up to the religious authorities in each state to decide whether to enforce it.

However, bans on alcohol and sex out of marriage are in some parts of the country enthusiastically enforced by "morality police" who carry out raids on hotels and pubs.

Jika Mahkamah Tidak Menjatuhkan Hukum.. Anda Boleh Barui Lesen Atau Cukai Jalan.

Enteri asal dalam http://www.isuhangat.net/2011/03/ketahui-hak-anda-dalam-saman-ekor/

Selalunya Perkara 13 Perlembagaan Persekutuan digunakan di dalam kes pengambilan tanah melalui Akta Pengambilan Tanah 1960. Sebenarnya Perkara 13 ini bukan sahaja melibatkan harta tak alih seperti tanah, tetapi meliputi harta alih seperti kenderaan. Justeru penafian hak memperbaharui cukai jalan dan lesen memandu oleh Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ) juga sebenarnya termasuk di dalam penafian hak rakyat terhadap harta. Alasannya jika seseorang rakyat itu dihalang dari memperbaharui cukai jalan kenderaan mereka yang menyebabkan kenderaan itu tidak boleh digunakan maka rakyat itu telah dinafikan haknya terhadap harta.

Jika seseorang rakyat telah dinafikan hak mereka menggunakan harta (kenderaan) mereka tanpa alasan yang berlandaskan peraturan dan undang-undang maka Perkara 13 (b) menyatakan bahawa pampasan hendaklah diberikan. Ini bermaksud jika JPJ menghalang seseorang memperbaharui cukai jalan yang menyebabkan kenderaan tidak boleh digunakan, maka JPJ hendaklah membayar pampasan kepada pemilik kenderaan tersebut.

Hujah ini adalah bersandarkan keputusan kes Leonard Lim Yaw Chiang lwn Director of Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Negeri Sarawak yang telah diputuskan pada tahun 2009. Di dalam kes ini, seorang rakyat bernama Leonard Lim Yaw Chiang telah disenarai hitam dan dihalang oleh JPJ Sarawak dari memperbaharui cukai jalan kereta beliau. Beliau telah memohon kepada Mahkamah Tinggi Kuching untuk memutuskan bahawa tindakan JPJ menyenarai hitam dan menghalang beliau memperbaharui cukai jalan adalah salah. Beliau juga memohon gantirugi daripada JPJ di atas kehilangan penggunaan kereta beliau selama kereta tersebut tidak boleh digunakan kerana tiada cukai jalan.

Mahkamah telah memutuskan bahawa JPJ tidak boleh menyenarai hitam kenderaan di atas suatu kesalahan yang belum dibuktikan di Mahkamah. Tindakan JPJ menyenarai hitam diputuskan telah bertentangan dengan Perkara 13 Perlembagaan. JPJ juga telah diarahkan membayar gantirugi kepada pemohon dalam kes itu kerana kesusahan beliau tidak dapat menggunakan kenderaan sehingga terpaksa menyewa kenderaan lain.

HAVE YOUR SAY - Malaysian Sepang circuit loses luster?

Malaysia's Sepang Formula One event is losing traction, according to the circuit's boss who admitted the shabby stadium and tropical temperatures have caused ticket sales to plunge.

the Malaysian event has also been outshone by neighbouring Singapore, which offers not just adrenaline-packed night racing on a street circuit, but teams it with live entertainment by big-name performancers like Beyonce.

Razlan Razali, chief executive of the Sepang International Circuit, said that Malaysians increasingly preferred to watch the race on television rather than brave the afternoon heat.

"It has lost its lustre," Razlan said in an interview with AFP.